大家说英语 第455期:小房子

 For a long time, people were buying bigger and bigger houses. 很长一段时间以来，人们一直在买越来越大的房子。

But there are a lot of problems with big houses. 但是大房子有很多问题。

Big houses are expensive, and they aren't good for the environment. 大房子很贵，另外对环境资源也不好。

But now that is changing. In many places, people are now buying small houses. 但是现在这一点有所改观。在许多地方，人们现在会买小房子。

And some of these houses are really tiny. 有一些房子真的很小。

These tiny houses are popular for different reasons. 这些小房子因为不同的原因而受人喜爱。

Some people like tiny houses because of their clever designs. 有些人喜欢小房子，因为设计的很巧妙。

Many houses don't use space very well. But tiny houses do. 许多房子没有很好的利用空间。但是小房子做到了这一点。

They are often designed so rooms can be used¹ for different things. 它们通常是精心设计的，这样房间可以有多种用途。

A living room might also be a dining room or a bedroom. 一间客厅也可以作为一间饭厅或者一间卧室来使用。

Other people live in tiny houses to help the environment. 另外有些人住在小房子里是为了帮助周围环境。

Tiny houses use less energy and other resources² than big houses. 比起大房子，小房子会用到更少的能源及其他资源。

Many people just like the tiny house lifestyle³. 许多人单纯就是喜欢小房子的生活方式。

Tiny houses don't have much space to keep things. 小房子没有很多空间来放置东西。

So people who live in them have to live simply⁴. 所以住在里面的人必须生活简单些。

Tiny houses are also popular in places where housing⁵ is expensive. 小房子在房价很高的地方很受欢迎。

Since tiny houses are smaller than other houses, they are also cheaper. 由于小房子比其他房子要更小，所以也更便宜一些。

People without a lot of money can still buy a tiny house. 没有太多钱的人，也可以买一间小房子。

1 used   

adj.用旧了的，旧的；习惯于…；过去惯/经常

参考例句：

• I used to work until nearly 6:00 o'clock each day.我过去常常工作到6:00左右。
• He used to walk anywhere from two to five miles an hour.他过去经常一小时走二至五英里。

2 resources   

n.勇气；才智；谋略；有助于实现目标的东西；资源( resource的名词复数 )；[复数]物力；办法；来源

参考例句：

• The world's resources are rapidly diminishing. 世界资源正在迅速减少。
• a policy to equalize the distribution of resources throughout the country 使资源在全国分布均衡的政策

3 lifestyle   

n.生活方式

参考例句：

• She had to change her lifestyle and eating habits.她必须改变生活方式和饮食习惯。
• She had come to enjoy Roberto's luxurious lifestyle.她渐渐地喜欢上了罗伯托奢侈的生活方式。

4 simply   

ad.仅仅,只是；简单地；朴素地；完全，简直

参考例句：

• The cake is made quite simply.这蛋糕做起来很简单。
• The teacher explained the text simply.老师简单地解释了一下课文。

5 housing   

n.房屋，住宅；住房建筑；外壳，外罩

参考例句：

• Do you think our housing sales will turn around during this year?你认为今年我们的住宅销路会好转吗？
• The housing sales have been turning down since the summer.入夏以来，房屋的销售量日趋减少。